Horopito was a station on the North Island Main Trunk line,^[1] in the Ruapehu District of New Zealand. It served the small village of Horopito and lies just to the north of two of the five largest NIMT viaducts. It and Pokaka also lay to the south of Makatote Viaduct, the late completion of which held up opening of the station.

It has been suggested that this article should be split into articles titled Horopito railway station, Taonui Viaduct and Hapuawhenua Viaduct. (discuss) (December 2021)

Quick Facts General information, Location ...

Horopito railway station
Horopito in 1957
General information
Location	New Zealand
Coordinates	39.343657°S 175.378017°E / -39.343657; 175.378017
Elevation	752 m (2,467 ft)
Line(s)	North Island Main Trunk
Distance	Wellington 327.5 km (203.5 mi)
History
Opened	in use from 31 May 1907 goods 12 August 1907 passengers 15 February 1909
Closed	goods 19 September 1986 passengers before December 1975
Electrified	June 1988
Services
Preceding station   Historical railways   Following station Pokaka Line open station closed 5.52 km (3.43 mi)   North Island Main Trunk KiwiRail   Ohakune Line open station open 10.16 km (6.31 mi)

Close

A passing loop remains at the station site.^[2]

Surveying for the route between Hīhītahi and Piriaka began in 1894.^[3] The line opened from Waiouru to Rangataua for goods traffic on 12 August 1907^[4] and a mail coach ran between the railheads at Raurimu and Rangataua, serving Horopito on the way.^[5] A stationmaster was appointed by March 1908.^[4]

A telephone line from the north was in place by 1907, but a link to Mataroa was not installed until 1909.

In August 1908 Horopito was the point where engines were changed on the first through train, to reduce its weight to negotiate the still unballasted track to the north.^[6]

Work on the station building began in November 1908.^[7] A 5th class station was built by September 1909 for around £3,340.^[4] When opened, Horopito had rooms for a stationmaster, lobby, luggage, urinals and ladies, on a 300 ft (91 m) by 15 ft (4.6 m) platform. There was also an engine shed, a 40 ft (12 m) by 30 ft (9.1 m) goods shed with verandah, two 4,000 imp gal (18,000 L; 4,800 US gal) water tanks, a loading bank, cattle and sheep yards and a cart approach. There was a tablet and fixed signals. Railway workers cottages were built from 1907. A crossing loop could take 60 wagons, extended to 80 in 1955. Electric lighting was installed after 1924.^[4]

The station building was replaced by a prefabricated shelter shed in 1971. On 19 September 1986 the station closed to all traffic.^[4]

• Horopito station about 1910
• Changing the tablet at Horopito Railway Station, with an X class in 1920.
• Horse-drawn timber wagon hauling a log to a mill at Horopito in 1921
• Horopito in 1964

Like the other stations along this part of NIMT, Horopito had freight from several timber mills.

R A Wilson & Co had a mill about 3 mi (4.8 km) from the station,^[8] linked by a private siding from 1908.^[4] Berg Brothers had a mill from at least 1908^[9] to 1921,^[10] with a horse-drawn tramway.^[11] A tramway to the Mangaturuturu valley was still in use in 1938.^[12] Mr Harland built a mill for cutting manoao into sleepers in 1909.^[13] In 1912 Silver Pine Timber Co opened a mill for the same timber about 1 mi (1.6 km) from the station.^[14] Cowern & Co had several tramways east of the station. Another sawmill had a short tramway south of the station.^[15] Orata Mill burnt down in the 1918 Raetihi fire,^[16] but was still working in 1924.^[17]

Two of NIMT's main viaducts are to the south of Horopito, where the line crosses valleys descending steeply from Mount Ruapehu. Both were designed by Peter Seton Hay, supervised by Resident Engineer, Frederick William Furkert, both had 201 m (659 ft) radius curves, and both were replaced on 29 June 1987 by a 10 km (6.2 mi) deviation, begun in 1984. As early as the 1960s there had been calls to bypass the viaducts, as they'd had a 20 mph (32 km/h) speed restriction, due to their tight radius, since the 1930s. Hapuawhenua Viaduct would have also required costly underpinning. The old viaducts were transferred to the Department of Conservation, in a like for like swap of land between DoC and the Railways Department.^[18] From Saturday 14 February 2009^[19] they became part of the Mountains to Sea Trail.^[20]

Both viaducts are made up of lattice steel piers on concrete footings, supporting 36 ft (11m) plate steel spans, interspersed with 64 ft (20m) Pratt truss steel girders. The lattice piers were built a tier at a time, using guy lines attached to derricks. Access to the pier heads was by ladder. The pier head girders weighed about 3½ tons, and the truss girders 9½ tons. They were positioned with derricks. The steelwork was prepared at PWD's Mangaonoho workshop, near the southernmost of the main viaducts. It was railed northwards to the Hapuawhenua valley floor, over a temporary, sharply curved and graded,^[21] 1 mi 48 ch (2.6 km) line from Ohakune, which was built in 1906.^[22] Material for Taonui was then carted along the coach road.^[18]

There are also bridges over one of the tributaries of the Toanui, and a, bridge over the Makotuku River,^[23] which is just south of Horopito.^[24] Makotuku Viaduct was one of those on NIMT built by Andersons of Christchurch.^[25] Hapuawhenua, or Mole, Tunnel was 10.3 ch (680 ft; 210 m) long and also bypassed in 1987.^[26]